Mark Antonys Speech Essay

Why Mark Antony's Speech so Effective in Persuading his Audience

Length: 856 words (2.4 double-spaced pages)

Rating: Excellent

Open Document

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

More ↓

Mark Antony's famous speech is a great example of a good speech. The ability of Antony to convince an audience, who at the beginning were against him, of his point of view is remarkable. I particularly love the way in which he is able to turn the word honorable around to in fact mean dishonorable.

Antony confronts a crowd that is against him. In order to turn the crowd to his side he uses irony and rhetorical questions but without breaking his word, not to wrong Brutus,

?I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke?

Antony indirectly persuades the crowd that Brutus was wrong in killing Caesar and that Caesar's death should be avenged. The use of rhetorical questions in Antony's speech causes the crowd to question what they once thought.

"You loved him once, not without cause What cause withholds you then to mourn for him??

This rhetorical question goes against Brutus by questioning his speech in which he so greatly demonized Caesar. Now the crowd is starting to turn against Brutus in favor of Antony. The audience question themselves. This in turn makes them question what Brutus once told them. ?Perhaps Brutus manipulated us to make us think along his lines?, they may have questioned.

He repeatedly states that ?Brutus is an honorable man?. The quote reveals much about the character of Brutus. Not only does Antony?s quote point, obviously, to the fact that Brutus is seen as an honorable man, but in its tone, it also raises questions as to whether this honor is suitably placed.

Brutus is seen by all of Rome as a good man and Antony sees the self-important side of Brutus which has developed from this. He notices this and uses it against Brutus. Through repeatedly stating the idea that ?Brutus is an honorable man?, he then points out the fact that Brutus is claiming to be so ?honorable? because he murdered Caesar.

Antony impressively turns the people from Brutus?s line of thought to his own. The respect from the people is not quite strong enough to hold when Brutus takes his supposed moral intentions and kills his friend Ceaser. Brutus? reputation, although good, is not good enough to cover such blatantly faulty motives, which were unnoticed before they were subtly pointed out by Antony.

?Brutus is an honorable man?. It is paradoxical how his words ring true with both truth and sarcasm. With Antony?s one brief line an entire portrait of Brutus is created.

How to Cite this Page

Hollocaust Survivor: Night by Ellie Wiesel Essay - “Never shall I forget those things, even were I condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” (Wiesel 2006, p. 34) Elie Wiesel is a humanitarian but better known as a holocaust survivor and the author of the book Night. Elie recounts the horrors of his experience throughout the book and revisits times which he had not touched upon in years. His book initially only sold a few copies but later on through this renewed interest, Elie Wiesel’s book skyrocketed to fame and he started his journey in his humanitarian activities which in turn earned him a Nobel peace prize and resulted in his famous speech, Hope, Despair, and Memory.... [tags: past memories, speech]

678 words(1.9 pages)

Better Essays

[preview]

Persuasion in Jonathan Edwards’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Virginia Convention - The word “persuasion” can be defined as a form of discourse that uses logical and emotional appeals to convince the audience to think or act in a certain way. This type of technique is used throughout the speeches of Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention.” The similarities and differences between the two speeches can be seen through the main idea, the purpose of each speech, and the author’s use of literary elements. The main idea in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and in “Speech to the Virginia Convention” is to push the audience to stand up and fight against a certain adversary.... [tags: Reasoning, Emotion, Rhetoric]

616 words(1.8 pages)

Better Essays

[preview]

An Audience Isn't a Mirror: Practice Your Speech on Real People - Everyone who gives speeches regularly has their own way to prepare, from outlines, to memorization, to winging it. Being in a Toastmasters' club for over three years, I've spoken regularly enough to experiment with many speech preparation techniques. In the beginning, I tireless rehearsed speeches in front my bathroom mirror for hours in the hope of becoming a more confident and better speaker. Trust me, practicing in your bathroom mirror accomplishes nothing. Unless you consider having really awkward sounding speech an accomplishment, then yes practicing to the magic mirror on the wall is the path to achievement.... [tags: preparing your speech, talking in front of public]

932 words(2.7 pages)

Better Essays

[preview]

The Impact of New Media on Audience Research Essay example - The influences of media are growing exponentially along with the technology development in the last several centuries. Media evolves originally from the books, magazines, visual and audio recordings to television, radio and films, and now to the new media relying on the digital technologies. Nowadays, almost everyone lives with the support of new media in the daily life. Accordingly, the research of media is also dependent on the evolutions. Thus, this essay will discuss the impacts of new media on audience research from the respects of both values and challenges.... [tags: Audience Research]:: 31 Works Cited

2743 words(7.8 pages)

Powerful Essays

[preview]

The Audience Unveiled Essay example - The Audience Unveiled The value of a book depends on the audience. The audience values in a book what is useful. But what is useful to a writer may be junk to those who don’t care to write. I am a writer. I can use a book that gives lessons in writing, a book that helps me write better. I don’t find a book on dry-wall installation useful; it may be entertaining, but entertaining is not useful.... [tags: Book Audience Audiences Essays]:: 2 Works Cited

1212 words(3.5 pages)

Strong Essays

[preview]

Déjà Vu: Motifs of Hitler in Richard III(1995) and How They Help Modern Audience to Understand Shakespeare’s Richard - It is not terribly odd to see directors adapt Shakespearian plays to a different era. In fact, contemporary elements in films like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and the most recent Much Ado About Nothing by Joss Whedon have definitely bring valuable new readings to the text. Embracing this trend, Richard III (1995) by Richard Loncraine shifts its background to 1930s Britain. Starring Ian McKellen as Richard, the movie makes an undeniable connection to Nazi Germany; very details include costume design, set and prop, and cinematography choices all closely relate Richard to Hitler, an equivalent villain from modern history.... [tags: background, evil, characteristic, audience]

1615 words(4.6 pages)

Powerful Essays

[preview]

Rhetorical Analysis of Antony’s Funeral Speech - ... Along with the well-placed ecphonesis, Antony utilizes the rhetorical question to stimulate thought with the audience and keep them involved. He first uses it when he asks the audience “did this [military spoils] in Caesar seem ambitious?” so that he can start to have them question Brutus’s accusation and draw them to his subsequent examples. However, the most important use of a rhetorical question is in the last line where he challenges his audience if there “comes such another [Caesar]?”. Here the rhetorical question serves to summarize the greatness of Caesar and to pass the responsibility for future actions onto the listeners.... [tags: devices, persuasion, audience, potential]

968 words(2.8 pages)

Strong Essays

[preview]

Informative Speech: Stress Management - General Purpose: To inform the audience about the cause, affect and ways to manage stress. Specific Purpose Statement: The audience will learn what causes stress and how stress can affect their health, and how they can manage their everyday stress with different techniques. INTRODUCTION Attention Getter: Life is like a huge roller coaster, a journey full of twists and turns, and ups and downs. And sometimes in this journey there arises various situations where one is unable to deal with these turns, let alone have the energy to face the ups and downs.... [tags: Informative Speech]

893 words(2.6 pages)

Better Essays

[preview]

The Effectiveness of the Techniques Used in Film Trailers in Persuading Their Target Audiences - The Effectiveness of the Techniques Used in Film Trailers in Persuading Their Target Audiences Media is communication. The main purposes of media are to entertain and to inform. Television, newspapers/magazines, adverts and the internet are the most well known forms of media. Trailers are designed to advertise the film, giving a good impression in a small amount of time so that people will either go to see the film, or buy the film, hence making money for the people involved. The trailers chosen were 'Charlie's Angles - Full Throttle' and 'Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines'.... [tags: Papers]

1633 words(4.7 pages)

Strong Essays

[preview]

The Audience and Writing Essay - The Audience and Writing Audience. Just one word yet it stirs frighteningly confusing images of perplexing thoughts in my mind. The word alone is strange, but when put in context of an essay it leaves me baffled and frustrated[d1] . The questions; “What is Audience?” “Why do I need it?” and, “What purpose does it serve?” are important to my finally some day understanding the concept of Audience, but at this point I can’t answer them fully[d2] . I can grasp the understanding of all the other aspects of writing an essay, although I may not incorporate them well in my paper at least I see why they are important.... [tags: Audience Definition Essays]:: 1 Works Cited

1045 words(3 pages)

Strong Essays

[preview]

?Brutus is an honorable man.? The statement is true. Brutus is honorable, but the underlying meaning behind Antony?s words is also true--Brutus is not honorable enough to decide the fate of all of Rome. Shakespeare?s ability to add depth, dimension, and humanity to a character in such few words is remarkable.

?Bear with me, My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me. ?

Marc Anthony?s speech calls for a dramatic pause, where he stops to ?regain his heart.? This line, however, is no more than a strategic and shrewdly placed break, where Anthony forces the crowd to decide if they are truly persuaded by his speech or not. It also shows how much Antony really cares for Ceaser. Antony wants emotion to override the crowd?s common sense.

To counter Brutus' claim that Caesar was a heartless tyrant, Antony says,

After that Antony deals his final blow by revealing to the crowd Caeser's will, in which "To every Roman citizen he gives, to every several man seventy-five drachmas" , aswell as land. He then asks the crowd, "Here was a Caesar, when comes such another?" , which questions the conspirators ability to lead.

Antony then teases the crowd with Caesar's will, which the beg him to read, but he refuses. This make him out to be an honest and principled man and he tells the crowd to "have patience" and expresses his feeling that he will "wrong the honorable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar" if he is to read the will. The crowd yells out "they were traitors. 'Honorable men" and we know that at this time they have completely turned against the Brutus and are incredibly angry about Caeser's death

One thing that is particularly noticeable throughout Antony?s speech is that he levels himself with the audience. Unlike Brutus who speaks in an intellectual manner, Antony speaks in the way his crowd would. Simply and easily understood. He treats the crowd as his equal and towards the end he flatters them,

After Antony gave his speech, his purpose was accomplished. He revenged Caesars death. This would not have been possible if he hadn't given his speech. For his speech to work he had to have an audience, a purpose and he had to use persuasive techniques.

Antony’s skillful ways To be a good public speaker, a person needs a very specific set of skills to deliver a powerful speech. In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, a group of men conspire to assassinate Julius Caesar. Throughout the play, they succeed in killing Caesar by stabbing him multiple times. The conspirators have to convince the people of Rome that Caesar is a bad man and he had to be killed for the sake of Rome. Another man by the name of Marc Antony, who was a loyal friend of Caesar, comes and turns the tide over to his favor.

He does this by delivering a powerful speech to the people of Rome at Caesar’s funeral. Marc Antony is a skilled orator because he excels at using rhetorical devices such as:ethos, pathos, and logos. One of the many ways that Mark Antony is an excellent speaker is how he uses the rhetorical device ethos. He persuades the crowd by giving them compliments such as, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. ” This shows that Mark Antony is getting into the crowd’s heart with his status as a trustworthy man.

Furthermore, Antony is familiar with the crowd, and he knows how to get into their heads. He also persuades them using an ethical argument by saying, “Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me. ” Mark Antony is telling the plebeians that he was close to Caesar and that he knew him very well – that they should believe his word. Mark Antony’s speech was success at persuading the crowd because he used his own characteristics to his advantage (III, ii, 73-86).

Mark Antony was also able to announce an admirable speech because he exposed his apathy towards Caesar using the rhetorical device pathos. He touched the plebeians hearts by saying, “O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason! Bear with me; My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, And I must pause till it come back to me. ” At this point in his speech, Antony is showing his anger towards the conspirators making the crowd filled with rage. He also shows his sorrow by pausing in the middle of his speech,showing the crowd that he is mournful towards his noble friend Caesar.

He also moved the crowd by speaking about Caesar, “ When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept. ” By stating this he is letting the Romans know that Caesar understood their pain and compassion. Anthony’s remarkable speech was successful because of the way he delivered his emotions (III, ii,92-108). Using logic, Antony was able to affect the crowd over to his side. For example, in his speech , he tells the Romans, “ You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse.

Was this ambition? ” By using his debate skills, he is maneuvering the audience into believing that Caesar was not ambitious by stating that he did not want to take the crown every time he presented it to him. Another way to prove that Antony’s arguments were reasonable was when he questions the crowd, “You all did love him once, not without cause;What cause withholds you then to mourn for him ? ” This reminds the crowd of how their lives were before Caesar was killed, making them realize how the conspirators manipulated them.

Antony was able to successfully persuade the crowd by using the rhetorical device logos. Anthony’s speech was magnificent because it contained rhetorical devices. By using ethos he was able to make the crowd consider him truthful. He also conveyed the crowd to rebel and feel sympathy by using pathos. Finally, he was able to completely turn the crowd over by reasoning with them. In the end, Mark Antony was able to convince a large group of people because he contained debate skills like no other.